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- Accomplishment: increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
- What is it? Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (February 2009), President Obama increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to $50 million (Lewis), the highest level since 1992.
- Why does it matter?
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| Yeah, keep smirking. Wait 'til you see the new budget cuts. |
This question comes up again and again during town council meetings when the proposed "solution" for money troubles is to slash school budgets.
There are countless books, articles, blogs, et cetera dedicated to the study of art in relationship to the learning process, talking about how music aids memorization (remember Schoolhouse Rock?) and directly relates to mathematical ability, how art is useful directly through architecture, schematics, circuit diagrams etc, and indirectly as a tool for mental and emotional health, but even without any of those reasons, it's hard to imagine a world without the arts.
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| "Is there supposed to a giant hole on this side?" "Sorry, our architect went to an underfunded school. Just walk around it." |
I answer the question with another one: can you imagine living in a world that is 100% mechanically functional with no music or beauty? The arts make everything better.
Last updated: 21 Feb. 2012.
References
Lewis, Joseph. Obama signs stimulus bill with NEA funding. Tampa Bay Times PolitiFact. Web. Updated: Tuesday, February 17th, 2009. Accessed Sunday, January 22, 2012.
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